Book Image

Mastering Python for Networking and Security - Second Edition

By : José Ortega
Book Image

Mastering Python for Networking and Security - Second Edition

By: José Ortega

Overview of this book

It’s now more apparent than ever that security is a critical aspect of IT infrastructure, and that devastating data breaches can occur from simple network line hacks. As shown in this book, combining the latest version of Python with an increased focus on network security can help you to level up your defenses against cyber attacks and cyber threats. Python is being used for increasingly advanced tasks, with the latest update introducing new libraries and packages featured in the Python 3.7.4 recommended version. Moreover, most scripts are compatible with the latest versions of Python and can also be executed in a virtual environment. This book will guide you through using these updated packages to build a secure network with the help of Python scripting. You’ll cover a range of topics, from building a network to the procedures you need to follow to secure it. Starting by exploring different packages and libraries, you’ll learn about various ways to build a network and connect with the Tor network through Python scripting. You will also learn how to assess a network's vulnerabilities using Python security scripting. Later, you’ll learn how to achieve endpoint protection by leveraging Python packages, along with writing forensic scripts. By the end of this Python book, you’ll be able to use Python to build secure apps using cryptography and steganography techniques.
Table of Contents (22 chapters)
1
Section 1: The Python Environment and System Programming Tools
4
Section 2: Network Scripting and Extracting Information from the Tor Network with Python
8
Section 3: Server Scripting and Port Scanning with Python
12
Section 4: Server Vulnerabilities and Security in Python Modules
16
Section 5: Python Forensics

Understanding the Tor Project and hidden services

The internet is arguably the largest source of mass surveillance in the world but is also one of the safest ways to send anonymous messages. Most internet users use the default applications and settings available, which makes it possible to track, log, and analyze almost all of their communications. This has been exemplified by data exfiltration being performed in large companies that aim to obtain economic benefits from the data of their users.

There are different types of anonymous browsing, such as browsing through a single proxy, which offers us a level of anonymity at the network level. Here, the user's IP address can be tracked throught the exit node that we are using in the Tor network.

Another widely used system for anonymization is the use of VPNs to send traffic. In general, this works the same way as Tor, sending your traffic through another user's computer. The difference is the lack of anonymization between...